Researchers reveal secret to running faster

Find out how this simple act can change your state of mind and enhance performance.

Representational Image. (Photo: Pixabay)

Smiling is the secret to boost your performance when running for athletes, researchers say.

A new study has found that smiling makes the sport easier for athletes and changes the way they view how hard they are working, the Daily Mail reported.

Many big names in the world of sports like Olympic marathon gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge use this technique to enhance their performance.

For the study, 24 trained runners had to complete six-minute running blocks on the treadmill. They found participants that smiled used 2.8 percent less energy.

“The main reason for the 2.8 percent improvement in running economy, we believe, was that smiling helped participants to relax and reduce muscle tension without deliberately, or consciously trying to relax," researcher Noel Brick told the Daily Mail.

The findings were originally published in the journal Psychology of Sports and Exercise.